In existing mobile communication systems, when a user purchases a new mobile station it needs to be associated with their account. Various methods exist for making this association. For example, the user can call customer service and interact with a customer service representative to affect the change in mobile station and associate a new mobile station identifier with their account. As part of that process, the end-user is asked to inform the customer service representative of an electronic serial number (ESN) that was assigned to the new mobile station.
An ESN is typically 32 bits long. It consists of three fields, including an 8-bit manufacturer code, an 18-bit unique serial number, and 6 bits that were reserved for later use, although in practice these 6 bits have long been combined into a 24-bit serial number field.
ESNs are often represented as 11 digit decimal numbers or 8 digit hex numbers. The first three digits are the decimal representation of the first 8 bits (between 000 and 255 inclusive) and the next 8 are derived from the remaining 24 bits and will be between 00000000 and 16777215 inclusive.
Given the complexities of ESN numbers, the end-user can often make a mistake when repeating the alphanumeric characters of the ESN to the customer service representative. These errors can prevent the new mobile station from being associated with the user's account.
In addition to end-user errors, the customer service representative can easily input an incorrect alphanumeric digit of the ESN during the activation process. Again, an error in the ESN number prevents association of the new mobile station with the end-user's account. This can cause great frustration to the account holder.
Another method of associating a new mobile station with the end-user's account includes using a web interface provided by the mobile carrier. For example, the end-user can sign into their account online and update which mobile station is associated with their account by inputting the ESN associated with the new mobile station. Again, as part of this process, the end-user is required to input the ESN number associated with the new mobile station. Given the complexity of these numbers, this process is prone to errors. Inputting the wrong ESN prevents the carrier from correctly associating the new mobile station with the end-user's account. Again, the account holder may become frustrated with the activation process and seek a new mobile carrier.
Hence a need exists for systems and methods that provide a means for the end-user to accurately and automatically associate a new mobile station identifier with their mobile carrier account.